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SSS Week 5: Fish Soup

Another winning recipe! This soup was created by Cindy of Baked Alaska (a blog about cooking, eating, and living in Alaska). It was so delicious and such a nice change from all the heavy holiday carbs I've been eating for the past several weeks.

I'm so impressed that Cindy created this recipe herself. The broth is perfect and is one that could be used as a base for many other soups (I think it would be perfect for minestrone). I did modify this one because my local grocery didn't have any decent-looking fish (and I didn't have time to drive to Whole Foods) so instead of fish, I put a can of whole clams in. It was great! I love the spiciness of this soup, and the fennel really gives it a unique flavor.

Cindy's recipe is below, along with my modifications.

A list of the other Slow Soupers is here. More Slow Souping discussion along with other great recipes can be found on the Slow Talk Food Forum.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, fennel, and garlic, and sauté until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add the wine, and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. Add the V-8, tomatoes, and fish seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add the chopped fish. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the fish is cooked through and the flavors have blended, about 15 minutes. Serve with slices of crusty bread that have been toasted in the oven and rubbed with a garlic clove.

Variations: If you would like a spicier soup, you can add a chopped jalapeno to the onions when sautéing, or add some red pepper flakes. I’ve also made this with the addition of potatoes, or with chopped zucchini or yellow squash if I want more veggies in add. I also sometimes season with Sherry Rum Peppers Sauce or a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Annie's modifications:

I added a diced zucchini and a couple of potatoes which made it pretty chunky so I added a little bit more V-8.

I used a can of whole clams instead of the fish and added several dashes of Worcestershire. I also added red pepper flakes....mine was very spicy!

And I was so surprised to find a box of organic clementines from Italy (from Calabria, I think) in my local grocery! They are super sweet and remind me of Venice because the B&B had them on the breakfast buffet every morning.